Ancient Chamorro/CHamorus were avid hunters both on land and sea. They developed many methods of eguihan (fishing), ranging from etupak (line fishing), lagua’ (net fishing), fisga (long spears used), stupefying fish with puting (sap), training them with a poiu or pugi (a chumming device) to lure in fish by feeding them from the depths into shallower waters then captured.
Pumeska: Hunters on Land and Sea Read Post »
Although death is an occasion for grief, the CHamorus consider it as a chance for the extended family throughout the island to gather and pray for the repose of the spirit of the difunto, or deceased male, or difunta, or deceased female.
Slingstones were used as weapons by ancient CHamoru warriors. Slingstones are stones of various sizes sharpened at both ends and hurled from a sling with deadly force in combative times.
Åntes di finañågu The pattera (nurse midwife) and suruhånu (traditional doctor) played important roles in the Chamorro/CHamoru society, especially when it came to pre-birth-to-birth events in the family. They assumed
The Mariana Islands has a history of pottery-making that is more than 3,500 years long. The first people to arrive in the Mariana Islands apparently had brought with them pottery-making skills; the broken remains of their pots, called sherds, have been found at archaeological sites dating back to circa 3,500 BP
Pre-Historic Pottery of Guam Read Post »
The birth of a child is the most important family event in CHamoru society. It marks the beginning of family celebrations and obligations that define the child’s CHamoru identity throughout his or her life.
The signature weapon of the ancient Chamorro/CHamoru warrior, slingstones of various sizes were sharpened at both ends and hurled from a sling with deadly force in combative times. Slingstones were also used for hunting birds.
Slingstones: Weapons Read Post »
The coconut, called niyok in Chamorro/CHamoru and cocos nucifera scientifically, is undoubtedly one of the most important native plant foods in the Mariana Islands. Chief among other plants of primary importance to the original CHamoru people including taro, breadfruit, yams, sugarcane, bananas, mangoes, and lemons, coconuts are a staple of ancient, colonial, and contemporary CHamoru horticulture.
Interpretive essay: No evidence of CHamoru tattoo from ancient times. Tattoo is often thought to have been a universal cultural practice in the Pacific islands. However, that probably isn’t true. Archaeologists have found no evidence that the CHamoru people of the Mariana Islands used tattoo.
On The Question of Tattoo by Ancestral CHamorus Read Post »
The latte is a manmade construct carved from limestone or basalt that was used as a foundation for a shelter against the elements or as a structure which may have represented a sacred place. The latte was constructed and used by the CHamorus throughout the Mariana Islands during the Latte Period from 1,000 Before Present (BP) to 500 years BP.
Latte’s Significance Read Post »
